Full disclosure: For the past few years, the French label Baskaru has been hiring me to write the press releases sent out with promo copies of their releases. These unsigned papers are designed to sell and convince. That being said, in the specific case of Frank Rothkamm’s ALT, I mean every single word I wrote on that press release. The album was meant to come out last spring, but there have been delays at Baskaru, and now it comes out just as Rothkamm is self-releasing (on his own Flux imprint) his Tetralogy - three CDs and one DVD coming out between Oct ’09 and Jan. ’10. (In fact, the second installment, Zahra Fugues, is available for download FOR FREE, but only until Christmas.) ALT is, by far, Rothkamm’s most accessible record yet, and for two main reasons: 1) the mystification side of the album – always important in Rothkamm’s works – is downplayed and more subtle than usual; 2) the music is akin to ambiant electronica. It consists in a set of short electronic pieces, soft and melodic, very pretty. Highly recommended. A strange contrast in a body of work already full of contrasts. [Below: the track “GUI”.]

An original if there ever was one, R. Stevie Moore makes music outside the box, uncategorizable, and occasionally downright zany. And it all started with his very first LP, the self-released 1977 opus Phonography. It has been reissued a few times since, and the latest reissue comes from ReR Megacorp. It has been duly remastered, but don’t expect an audiophile miracle; after all, it was recorded on a couple of consumer open-reel tape recorders, so it’s lo-fi by design. That said, you NEED to hear the mad creativity this album holds. Think of Frank Zappa’s Lumpy Gravy, The Residents, Eugene Chadbourne. Entertaining, surprising, shapeshifting.

Saxman Ivo Perelman is celebrating his 20 years of recording activity with this new CD on Leo Records. Mind Games features him with bassist Dominic Duval (a longtime partner) and drummer Brian Wilson. It’s a good, even very good studio session from November 2008, mostly notable for “G.S. Farewell,” a 26-minute epic (the man rarely goes to that kind of length). Perelman always approaches free jazz with lots of feeling.

THE FALL’S MARK E. SMITH AND ED BLANEY / The Train, Part Three (Voiceprint)

Mark E. Smith is the undisputed leader of the band The Fall; Ed Blaney was their guitarist in the early 2000s. Together, since last year, they’ve committed three records (i think). The Train, Part Three (the only one I’ve head) consists of a single 40-minute piece. In the background, a mix of field recordings made in various trains and trains stations across Europe. On a mid-level, Blaney’s electric guitar weaves a rock narrative that ranges from rockabilly to noise; in the foreground, Smith’s sung-said narrative, paired to a simple chorus/leitmotiv that ties the whole thing together. Smith touches bases with his usual topics, and even gets around talking about trains. Not uninteresting, but only half-developed. And I can’t shake off the feeling that I’m hearing a free-punk take on André Duchesne’s glorious Locomotive project.

A first solo album by J21, a guitarist I could describe as a Joe Satriani taking his time. Let’s say the man value musicality and arrangements over sheer prowess. This is a good modern rock record, with a nice cast of guests – mostly Trey Gunn (King Crimson) and Ed Mann (Zappa). I could have done without the gruff cat wails of Graham Bonnet (Rainbow, Alcatrazz). Recommended to fans of Gordian Knot.

Released in 2004, but I just acquired it. Splendid, among the best Acid Mothers Temple albums of that time. Cotton Casino and Aum Gigi are still on board. Lots of trippy craziness, sped-up vocals, space whisper, and vital energy.